Sgt
Herbert Ephraim Parkinson

Information about birth

Year of birth:
1881
Place of birth:
Mount Egerton, Victoria, Australia

General information

Last known residence:
Second Street, Weston, New South Wales, Australia
Profession:
Miner
Religion:
Church of England

Army information

Country:
Australia
Force:
Australian Imperial Force
Rank:
Sergeant
Service number:
880
Enlistment date:
15/12/1915
Enlistment place:
Maitland, New South Wales, Australia
Units:
 —  Australian Infantry, 35th Bn. (Newcastle's Own Regiment)  (Last known unit)

Information about death

Date of death:
12/10/1917
Place of death:
Augustus Wood, Passchendaele, Belgium
Cause of death:
Killed in action (K.I.A.)
Age:
36

Cemetery

Tyne Cot Cemetery
Plot: XXIII
Row: F
Grave: 20

Points of interest 4

#1 Place of birth
#2 Last known residence
#3 Enlistment place
#4 Place of death (approximate)

My story

Herbert Ephraim Parkinson was born around 1881 in Mount Egerton, Victoria. He worked as a miner. Herbert enlisted in the Australian Army and was a part of the 35th Battalion Australian Infantry Regiment (9th Brigade, 3rd Division).

Herbert died on 12 October 1917 during the First Battle of Passchendaele, part of the Battle of Passchendaele. The starting lines of the attack on Passchendaele were near Keerselaarhoek. At 5.25 a.m., the starting signal for the attack was given. The 35th Battalion advanced in support of the 34th Battalion. They managed to capture Hillside Farm and Augustus Wood, thus reaching their first objectives. After a temporary delay due to machine gun fire, they managed to advance further. The consolidation lasted until around 3 p.m. The battalion was then forced to retreat to the vicinity of Augustus Wood. The attack ended about 300 yards beyond the original starting lines.

Herbert fell at the age of 36. After the war, his body was recovered near Augustus Wood. He was reburied in Tyne Cot Cemetery, where he found his final resting place.

Sources 4

35th Australian Infantry Battalion, (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/52/4).
https://www.awm.gov.au/
Sources used
Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920 (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455 PARKINSON H E).
https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/
Sources used
McCarthy, Chris. Passchendaele: The Day by Day Account (Londen: Arms & Armour Press, 1995), 129.
Sources used
Unit embarkation nominal rolls, 1914-18 War (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM8).
https://www.awm.gov.au/
Sources used

More information 4